COVID-19 nursing home deaths unchallenged in NH courts
Published: 4/18/2021 3:00:04 PM
COVID-19 has taken a major toll at New Hampshire long-term care facilities, accounting for 865 deaths, or almost 70 percent of the 1,257 total fatalities caused by the virus statewide.
With the high death toll, litigation against nursing homes might be expected, but that’s generally not been the case.
Medical malpractice lawsuits are expensive to pursue and could be difficult to prove in the context of a worldwide disease that has been especially hard on elderly and ailing nursing home residents.
Also, an opinion issued nearly a year ago from then-New Hampshire Attorney General Gordon MacDonald, which was requested by Health Commissioner Lori Shibinette, has had a chilling effect on pandemic-related litigation, said personal injury attorney Anthony Carr.